


Avatar

by Hierophantastic



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: I changed the time line a bit, I have not read the comics, Might make some small continuity mistakes, Original Avatars, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2019-12-25 11:53:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18260741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hierophantastic/pseuds/Hierophantastic
Summary: The Avatar has worn many faces. Some good, some evil. Some kind, some cruel. Some came from royalty and others from slums.All were powerful. All were one. And one was all.Or; A few short stories and one-shots about the previous and next Avatars





	1. Of No Nation

She dodged and weaved through arrows and blasts of flame. The best way to avoid being harmed is to not be there where the blow lands. So the woman jumped up in the air, higher than physically possible, to evade a wall of flames one bandit threw her way. When she landed, she blasted a windblast outward. Two bandits flew over the edge of the cliff, plummeting to their deaths.

She was not an Air Nomad. 

The firebending one was preparing another flamewall. She did not give him time. Fire burst from her fists, forcing him to defend himself. Your enemy cannot attack you if you are attacking him. But then she stopped, seemingly catching her breath. The bandit grinned cockily, arrogance gleaming in his eyes. The stream of flames he flung her way coiled around the woman as she tore it out of his grasp, dropping the act, and she threw it back. She had already moved on to the surviving ambushers by the time he stopped screaming.

She was not Fire Nation. 

The snow on the cliff’s edge turned to ice and the suicidal crew that decided ambushing her was a good idea started slipping. Use your enemies attack against them. If not possible, use the terrain. She threw her hands up, palms down, fingers spread, and spikes of ice rose up, impaling another three. Four left.

She was not Water Tribe.

The four stood silent, eyes wide with fear. One of them tried to run, but she stomped and a pillar of earth flung him over the edge as well. The three started to surround her in an attempt to force her to the edge. The woman decided to humour them and did what no earthbender ever did. She gave ground. Slowly, she walked backwards, not even bothering to look over her shoulder. She did not hesitate when she reached the edge. The earth extended itself so she would not step into air. 

She was not Earth Kingdom.

And as she stood there, with nothing but a few inches of rock protecting her from a fate as a red stain in the darkness, the bandits still eyed her warily. No, not warily. Afraid. The woman grinned. She might be supposed to be a symbol for peace and justice, but damn it if she wasn’t allowed to have a bit of fun. And these were bandits who had been plaguing innocent travelers for months now, so fair game in her eyes.

“Boo,” she said. The three started running.

But not hard enough. A sudden wind blew them towards the edge, towards her. She wasn’t sure which they feared more. The woman stood unflinching as two bodies flew past her. The third, however, was not polite enough to die quickly and managed to grab on to her ankle. She encased her other foot in earth so she would not slip as she attempted to kick him loose.

“Please, have mercy! I’ll change, I swear!” He was panicking. Understandably. Maybe he was even telling the truth.

The woman contemplated this for a moment, then she grinned. “Nah.” She redoubled het efforts to get rid of him. Then she had a bright idea and her eyes started glowing.

Horrified, the man looked up at the demon that had wiped out his entire crew with ease. “What are you!?” he yelled.

“Haven’t you figured it out yet? I’m the Avatar.”

The wind blew harder. Fingers slipped. The last one fell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About the timeline, in canon Avatar Wan was ten thousand years before Korra, with harmonic convergence once every ten thousand years. If the average Avatar gets to be a hundred years old (and powerful benders often grow older, Kyoshi was 230, Sozin 180-something and Bumi 115) that means there were a hundred Avatars from Wan to Korra.
> 
> So I moved harmonic convergence (and the start of the Avatar Cycle) from ten thousand years before Korra, to a million years before Korra for two reasons: 1. More Avatars without the need to link them all 2. I get to paint a lot of the picture myself, which means my stories will be less likely to contest canon. I mean, in atla there had been 41 earth kings. If those all got to a hundred as well, the EK would be 4100 years old. So, if I followed canon, I would only have 5900 years before EK. That is 59 Avatars. Now I get to make all kinds of stories.


	2. The Faceless Ones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things I did not name this; Avatar and Co., and other face related puns

Zhei Fu was 8 years old and she had never seen her face.

She stared intently at the mirror of ice she had created with her waterbending. It had taken a while before she had managed to get the water clean enough that it could actually reflect something, but she had done it.

Staring back was a wooden mask painted white. Two slits for the eyes, one for the mouth, which curved slightly upwards, as if it was a kind smile, and a hollow bulge for her nose. The mask had three blue lines lined with red painted on it, two started below her eyes and went down, and the third was in the middle, from her brow to her nose.

That was her face. For the first seven years of her life she had worn a plain wooden mask with the characters of her name written on it, as all children did. This mask, however, was hers. She had made it. It was unique, no one else in the tribe had a mask like hers.

And yet.

Zhei Fu stared intently at the slits for her eyes, trying to see her eyes. She did not know what colour her eyes were. She did not know what she looked like when she smiled, or frowned, or cried. Nobody did, except maybe her parents. After all, the faces of the people of the tribe belonged to Koh, who made sure the tribe survived, giving them food in this poisonous swamp. He made sure the plants were edible and the tribe survived, if the tribe made an offer to him once a year by sending someone into his lair. 

It was a great honour. The chosen got a tattoo and the week before the offering they lived in as much splendour as the tribe could offer. But they… changed, afterwards. They never talked, never ate. They seemed to be just shadows of their former selves.

But she was curious. Fingers wrapped around the edges of the mask, and froze there. Should she do this? What if she was chosen and Koh would not accept her because she had seen her face, damning the tribe?

“Zhei Fu, dinner is ready!”

Zhei Fu had never been so glad to hear her mother’s voice, which pushed the temptation away easily. 

“Coming!”

\----

At nine years old, Zhei Fu wore her face proudly. 

Traders had come peddling their wares, and they were welcome, for winter was almost upon them. The tribe needed pelts and food. But Zhei Fu let those trifling matters to her parents and the elders. She had her eyes on something far more important.

“How much for the waterbending scroll, sir?”

“This one? It is a real piece of art, y’ know. Let’s say, five gold pieces.”

Zhei Fu looked at him with a stunned expression, which the man could not see.

“...Gold pieces?”

They didn’t have those. The tribe trade with herbs found in the swamp. There were many healing plants that only grew in their territory. If only there were more edible ones, so that they would not have to live on the edge of starvation.

Zhei cleared her head and dug through the pockets. Let’s see, what did she have in there?

“Can I trade it for this?”

The trader looked at her two handfuls of plants, insects, sticks, and rocks and shook his head, smiling slightly. “I’m sorry, kid. However, we can make a deal.”

“...Wasn’t that what we were doing?”

“No, a different deal. You get the scroll  _ until _ I return next year, and in turn you tell me a secret. But if you ruin it you have to pay me  _ six _ pieces or work until the debt is paid for.”

Zhei Fu tapped her wooden chin, thinking. Then she nodded. A year would be long enough to study the scroll. She was a fast learner. And of course she would be careful with other people’s things.

“Okay. What kind of secret?”

Now the trader leaned forward over the cloth on which he had spread out his wares. “Why do you all hide your faces? Is there some kind of curse or somethin’?”

Although the man could not see it, the masked girl scrunched up her face in confusion. “What do you mean, hide our faces? These are our faces. I haven’t heard of any curse,” she said, pointing at her mask. 

The trader scratched his, not understanding. “But those are just masks! What about what’s under the masks?”

Zhei Fu shook her head and tapped the painted wood. “This is my face. Under this lies Koh’s face.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Koh, the spirit who watches over us, said that if we wish to keep our faces we should wear masks. So we wear masks as our faces.”

The trader shook his head and grumbled something about ‘insane fanatics’, a little disappointed at the lack of an exciting tale, but handed her the scroll. She left with a spring in a step to practice her waterbending.

\----

When she was twelve, Zhei Fu did the impossible.

She was in the clearing near the Great River, where she always practiced her bending. Her eyes were fixed on her footprint. Her footprint, which was imprinted in solid rock. 

How?

The stunned girl thought back to what she had been doing. She had been intrigued by Sela’s earthbending, since its kata’s were so different from water’s fluid motions. Carefully, curiously, and somewhat afraid, she moved back into the horse stance. Body low, fists clenched, she concentrated on the earth below her.

Then, she jerked her fists up. A boulder rose with them.

Zhei Fu gaped at the rock. How? How could she do this? She was a waterbender!

“Confused?”

The girl whipped around as if she had been caught doing something illegal. And as far as she knew, maybe she had been. A woman stood at the edge of the clearing, dressed in a long, dark green coat with a yellow undershirt. She had light brown hair, fair skin, and grey eyes.

“I- I didn’t- It wasn’t-” Zhei Fu stammered. At last she found her voice. “I’m a waterbender!”

“That you are.” The woman smirked. “You are also an earthbender. And a firebender, and an airbender.”

“That’s impossible! Only the Avatar can bend all four elements! And Avatar Bei was defeated and killed by the Ocean King years ago!”

“I wouldn’t call it a  _ defeat _ , per se. It’s not like he managed to get a victory out of it, what with me dropping an iceberg on his head. And how long have I been dead, exactly?”

“For twelve years! Wait, did you just say-” 

Oh. Oh, hells. Oh, Koh-damned, spirit-cursed  _ hells. _

“You just said I.”

“Yup.” The woman nodded, with the amused smirk of someone who was used to people reacting to the impossible. She knew what was coming, and enjoying every second of it. “Avatar Bei, in the spiritual flesh.”

“So you are dead? Then how am I talking to you? How did you bend that rock out of the earth?” Zhei Fu’s head was aching. She was glad she was wearing a mask, so the other woman could not see the outright panic on her face. She wasn’t used to spirits, that was the job of the elders!

“The Avatar can talk to their past lives. And I didn’t, to your second question.” 

The pieces fell into place. “No, it can’t be,” Zhei Fu whispered.

“Yep, it is,” her previous incarnation chirped. Koh’s mercy, had she ever been this smug?

“I’m the Avatar?”

“‘Fraid so.”

“I’m- Wait, what do you mean, ‘afraid so’?” Good. Her arrogance was returning, and it chased away the fear that had taken hold of her. Most of it, anyway. “You think I’m not good enough?”

“Well, you do look kinda dopey, hiding behind that mask of yours.”

“This is my face! And I’ll show you dopey!”

She moved easily into the long familiar waterbending katas, razors of ice flying from the river. They passed through Bei, who didn’t even flinch. “Missed me,” the spirit said, “And that was a terrible one-liner. Oh, would you look at that, the gang’s all here!”

The previous avatar gestured behind Zhei Fu, who turned around. There were two others, sitting on a fallen log near the river. One was a man who looked no older than twenty-five, twenty-six tops. The other was…

“Raava,” Zhei Fu uttered. She did not need an introduction to recognize the Great Spirit of whom she had dreamt so often. She had wondered why that was, and now she knew. “She’s the Avatar Spirit, isn’t she.”

“Eh, close enough. She carries Its power, yes. But alone she is nothing. Just like the rest of us.”

“Bei, stop teasing the newcomer,” the man said.

“Sure thing, Wan.”

“I am so confused right now. I must be dreaming.”

“Yeah, no. You’re the Avatar, the third one to be precise. Congratulations.” Wan - the man who had beaten Vaatu, the man who had parted the spirit world from this one, yes  _ that Wan -  _ stroked his beard as he looked his successor’s successor up and down. “You’ll do great, I’m sure of it. Just a shame Bei here has to teach you, or you might have done better.”

“Wait!” Both Bei and Zhei Fu interrupted the original Avatar with indignation in their voice. They shot each other a venomous look, both readying to give the no-longer-living legend a piece of their mind. Zhei Fu was faster. “She has to teach me? Teach me what? Why can’t you teach me?”

“Teach you all kinds of stuff. And I can’t teach you, because it has to be the previous Avatar that teaches the new one.”

“Who came up with that rule? It’s stupid!” Bei obviously was not happy at the prospect of having Zhei Fu as a student. Zhei Fu would have felt insulted, had she not been just as unhappy about the idea of the smug spectre as her mentor.

Wan grinned. “I did. Just now. And I followed it, didn’t I?”

“Wan, you bastard-”

_ If I may interrupt. It makes sense for the Avatar’s immediate predecessor to teach them because they are closest to them in time, and therefore, more informed about the situation in the world. _

Raava’s words were not heard, but just transmitted into Zhei Fu’s mind so she knew what the Great Spirit meant. Wan nodded. “Exactly what I meant. And I mean, how confusing would it be if, a couple centuries down the line, this kid has like a dozen teachers and needs to remember them all! So it only makes sense-”

_ We all know you’re just being lazy, Wan. Word of advice from your mentor, quit digging your own hole. _

“Right, shutting up. Thanks for the advice, Raava. Have fun teaching, Bei.” And the two legends were gone. 

“My head hurts,” the masked girl whimpered, just before she fainted.

And one very annoyed Avatar stared at the sky, swearing under her breath.

\----

When she was sixteen, Zhei Fu had as good as mastered all four elements.

Bei was a surprisingly good teacher. Her Air Nomad heritage, combined with the fact that she was raised as a noble from Omashu, gave her an enlightening outlook on life. She also had an immense dislike of the ways of Zhei Fu’s tribe, but that was her problem. Zhei Fu knew she had to leave someday, but she would do so with her head high, not running like a rebellious teenager.

However, Zhei Fu understood that the fate that befell the chosen sacrifices, which Bei had told her about, could not be allowed to happen to the Avatar. The Avatar needed a face, needed to be complete. Which is why she was so nervous. It was the Day of Honour. Of course, had she told the elders she was the Avatar they probably would not have included her, but that would feel like she was chickening out of her responsibility as a member of the tribe.

A large millipede lay in the centre of a circular wooden table. The table itself was located in front of Koh’s Tree, which was not Koh’s actual Tree, because that one was in the spirit world. It was as close to the real thing as possible, however, especially with the winter solstice just a week away. 

“Please, place your left hand over the table.” The voice of the chieftain, who was wearing the ancient mask of Koh’s first follower, Chitsa, was calm and a little sad. Not that odd, considering his daughter was amongst the potential sacrifices this year. Zhei Fu glanced to her side, where Sela, the girl in question, stood. She did not show any of the nerves Zhei Fu felt. She knew this had to be done and would do it with grace. 

Was it wrong to hope she would be the one picked?

The circle of potential sacrifices approached the table, left arm outstretched with the palm up. The many-legged creature twisted and turned, indecisive as to who should be sacrificed this year. 

It touched Zhei Fu’s arm.

No.

It crawled up, over and under her arm, curling itself around it like a snake. It went up her shoulder until it rested with its head on her wooden brow.

No.

“Zhei Fu. You have been chosen. Follow me please.”

\----

The week went by fast.

Zhei Fu had been tattooed. A millipede, which curled itself around her just like the real thing had. Except for the head. She knew she would get that on her return from Koh’s lair. The creature’s face painted on her wooden one.

“Well, this sucks.”

“That it does, Bei. You really have a way with words.”

“The flattery is appreciated, but that does not mean my next lesson will be easier. And I intend for there to be a next lesson.”

“So do I, Bei.”

“Then why didn’t you just say no!”

“Because I could not! It had already chosen me! I would have been exiled, Avatar or not!” 

“So what! You need to leave this place sooner or later, anyway!” the irate spirit replied.

“Not like this,” the sacrifice muttered.

Zhei Fu was wearing a green and blue robe, which was missing the left sleeve to show her tattoo. It was of the very best quality available. As she walked through the village she was once again reminded of why she was doing this. The swamp which the tribe called home had plenty of vegetation, but few of it edible. Meat was in rare supply as well and many of the insects were poisonous.

The tribe was alive, but barely. Just like Koh’s Tree, the elders said. And she understood the comparison. The Tree was almost always bare and had the colour of death, but it bled when cut and sometimes leaves grew. Grey skeletons of leaves, but leaves nonetheless.

Bei had told her that that was what Koh was. Not life, not death, but something in between. Once Zhei Fu had realized that, she had asked the elders why they did not leave to a place more bountiful. They said they had nor the food to make the journey, nor the strength to protect their people during it.

Zhei Fu could not see the eyes of the tribesmen and women follow her, but she knew they did. The masks hid any sadness or compassion they might feel. It did not matter to her, because she knew what they felt. Ten Fi, her little sister with her yellow and red mask, was shaking with every sob. Gan, the boy she liked with that beautiful sea-snake that curled over the left side of his wooden face, was hunched miserably. Despite the situation, that made her heart leap a bit.

She reached the Tree shortly. It looked different, as it always did on the solstice. There was a gaping hole under the roots. There were no words of goodbye. No preaches about her bravery. There never were. In silence she descended into darkness.

She could feel the world shift, and there was the scuttling of a thousand legs. Bei stood beside her. “You need to do this alone. If you wish to keep your face do not show him any emotion.” Then she was gone.

And yet Zhei Fu pressed on, into the lair of the spirit she had worshipped her whole life. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, revealing a chitinous mass of legs and shadows. And then a face was in front of hers.

“Well, well, well. What is this? Another sacrifice so soon, or has another year passed already?” 

Zhei Fu stiffened. The face that was staring at her was that of a woman. She was quite lovely, with those soft green eyes and her silken hair. Its loveliness was somewhat reduced, however, by the red flesh that surrounded it, as if it was an eyelid, and Koh’s arthropodal body. She wondered if it was one of the previous sacrifices. 

“I am here as sacrifice, great Koh. However, I would ask that you not take my face. I need it, and the world needs me.”

“Is that so, Avatar? Does your world need you, or is that just arrogance talking? After all, it managed to get along just fine before Wan’s escapades. What about your tribe? They need food, do they not?” The Face-Stealer coiled around her like a snake, blinked, and changed its face. “At least do me the courtesy of removing the mask and showing me your face.”

The Avatar just managed to keep herself from giving her usual retort when an outsider asked that of her, and removed the mask. Her hair had yet to grow back, since she shaved it off or the tattoo. Koh stared in her eyes, a mere inch away from her.

“I like the tribe, you know. They are the few people I care about. Your ancestor, Chitsa, was a friend of mine. But you are not your ancestor. And I will not do something for nothing.” 

Zhei fu thought, her flesh face more of an emotionless mask than the wooden one had ever been. If she could make it out of here intact, she could leave the tribe and… do whatever it is Avatars do. But she could not just abandon her people. They needed food. More importantly, they needed a way out of this dead life.

And she had an idea.

“I will give you my face, in exchange for food for the tribe.” Black legs flew at her head like pincers. A few were already dug into her scalp when she stopped them. “Wait!”

“What is it, daughter of Chitsa?” Koh asked, a curious look on his stolen face.

“I will give you  _ my  _ face. The one I have worn my entire life, the one my family and friends know me by.” She held up the wooden mask. “‘If you wish to keep your face, wear a mask so you always have a second one at hand.’ That was what you said to Chitsa, right? But the second face was never the mask.”

And Koh smiled. “You have solved the riddle I gave ages ago. Bravo. I always thought humans were smarter, though. All of them, giving away their face, when they had a perfectly fine one at hand. You have a deal, Avatar Zhei Fu, daughter of Chitsa.”

Black legs took the mask and the centipede put it on. It seemed to morph and became more… fleshy. A face. Her face. Three blue-and-red lines on pale white skin.

Zhei Fu walked back into the light and felt the sun on her face. It was something she had not felt before, and surprisingly nice. There was a crowd. Their wooden faces stared at her. Mother and father were there. Gan and my sister as well. 

“Is… Is that you, Zhei Fu?” her little sister asked. 

“Yes, Ten Fi. It’s me. Food is coming.” The tension lessened. “I need to speak to the elders and the chieftain.”

\----

It took awhile for everyone to prepare for the journey.

Food had to be packed, possessions gathered. And when it all was done, Zhei Fu returned to the Tree. There was no hole this time. But she was the Avatar, Bridge Between Worlds, so she made one. Bei said it was a bad idea. She ignored Bei, as she did so often. 

When she descended into the darkness this time, there were no nerves. Not many at least. Her new face, white wood with Raava’s blue markings, an Avatar’s face, gave her strenght. She had small box and a bag with her. A farewell gift, you could call it. A thank you.

“Daughter of Chitsa, Riddle-Solver. You return with purpose.”

“I have come with a gift, great Koh.” She knelt in the dirt of the cave floor. The box, which she opened and put down beside her contained various paints. The bag had a piece of wood, roughly the width and height of a human head, and tools to carve it.

“And what gift might that be?” She could tell he was intrigued.

“A face. Not a stolen face, or a given face, but a face of your own, that you made and earned.”

Koh stared at her. He was currently wearing her wooden mask and it had a stunned expression. “...Why?” he asked, after the silence.

“Because you have kept my tribe fed from its birth. You even gave us the answer to your own cruel demands, but we were too blind to see it. That is why.”

And so she sat in the hole as the thief gained something of his own.

_ “...Make it white, with an oval around the eyes, like that yes.” _

_ “What colour? Hm, grey? Or blue? Both?” _

_ “Yes, that seems right.” _

_ “My face.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, lots of fanfics have Koh as this big powerful spirit, which I have no problems with and kinda like, but then they all ignore the 'Face-Stealer' part, which irks me.


	3. Agni's Comet

The sky burned red as Agni's Comet passed.

Now that was a welcome sight. Juri could feel the fire in him burning, growing more powerful, and he needed it. Hamjo, better known as the Tidal Lord, the man who single-handedly took out an entire fleet of Water Tribe ships as they came to capture him, was not a pushover. And even less so in the icy desert that was the North Pole.

Juri slid to the left, gliding over the ice without even moving his legs but instead using waterbending, just in time to avoid the ice spikes that rose up to impale him.

"You cannot win this, Avatar. You can't even earthbend yet, it is much too cold for fire, and your waterbending is laughable at best!" Hamjo mocked him. The thing was, he was right. And he knew he was right. Just a few minutes ago, Juri had been certain this was where he would die. An Avatar who never even learned earthbending, killed at seventeen years old by a pirate with delusions of grandeur. 

How delightful.

But now the sky burned red and Juri could only think of one thing. Namely, the pained scream of Kapnu, his waterbending teacher, as one of Hamjo's ice spikes impaled him.

"You want fire, you insolent bastard!? I'll show you fire!" The enraged Avatar thrust his fists forward and a great surge of flames smashed through the wave of ice-water that had been rolling his way, evaporating it. "Agni herself is looking down at us, and I will not fail her!"

The waterbender's face lost its arrogance as he looked up and saw the comet. A waterspout carried him up and away in an attempt to gain some distance. Juri dodged right just in time to avoid one of the many waterwhips that surrounded Hamjo as if he was some kind of octopus. He just needed an opening. With Agni's Comet he could win, he was sure of it.

A wave as tall as a house rose from the ice and rolled his way. Juri boosted himself with rocket feet to fly over it and threw a fireball back at Hamjo, who dodged it easily. The waterspout gave him a good vantage point and increased mobility.

The waterspout. Made of water. Hamjo was covered in water. Juri almost hit himself for being such a fool, but he had no time because another wave rolled his way. He just needed a few seconds.

Juri flew up, as high as he dared, where the water could not reach him. He stared down at Kapnu's murderer. Hamjo stared back. " Fleeing, Avatar? What about your justice? What about your vengeance?"

"Oh, no need to worry about that. I'll have my vengeance." Juri moved his arms in a wide arc, through the kata he had learned from the Crown Prince himself. Lightning curled around his finger, jumping from digit to digit. The power of the lightning, strenghtened by Agni's blessing, was overwhelming. Not even close to the Avatar State, but as close as a mortal could get. He could see Hamjo's face turn terrified as he tried to escape, racing over the ice like a tornado of water. The fool.

Lightning tore the red sky asunder. It carried through the water, electrifying Hamjo. His charred corpse fell on the cold ice. And Juri stood a distance away, staring at his dead target, and realized something

He was a murderer.

Then he bent over and his stomach's contents said farewell to their temporary home.

Another part of him however, looked upon Hamjo's corpse, and was content.


	4. Making Amends

The coins clattered on the counter of the inn.

Jian turned to the door and left the building, his straw hat and dusty coat protecting him from the sun that bore down on the Earth Kingdom unbiddingly. He should leave this place soon, today if possible. His hunters were hot on his trail.

A man bumped into him. "Watch yourself, idiot," he snapped. Luckily, it was no guard. There were almost no guards on the street. All according to plan.

"Sorry sir, it won't happen again," Jian replied cheerfully.

"Kill him. Hate him. Tear him limb from limb," Tenga whispered in his ear.

"You really are the worst mentor a man could have." A passersby shot him an odd look. Yeah, he had to leave soon.

But he had to do something first. The captain of the local guards was little better than the bandits he kept at bay and, if Jian's suspicions were correct, on a leash. Someone had to stand up to him, or he would never stop milking the townsfolk of their money and possessions. 

And who better to do that than the Avatar, Bringer of Peace and Justice?

Of course, it would be... unwise, to make his identity known to everyone here. The Avatar was not really popular at this time. Not that he could blame them. Between Juri Firefist, who had played judge, jury, and executioner - with a tendency towards punishment of the permanent kind - for two centuries, and Tenga the Mad, who had raged across the world as an indiscriminating, destructive force of nature, three generations had lived in fear of the Avatar. That fear did not just vanish because the new one says he's a good guy. The Lotus' Petals, a renegade group who had made it their task to bring down mad Avatars, were proof of that.

No, he had to prove he was a good guy. And he already knew how. The fact that he managed to salvage some extra rotten, squishy fruit was just a plus.

The captain of the guard was at the center plaza. He had made sure to spread the word of the execution so everybody would know what happened to 'criminals who opposed the hand of justice'. He was a lot like Juri in that aspect, except that Juri had actually believed in the hands of justice, or more specifically, his hands.

The three criminals consisted of two bandits and one elder shopkeeper. The shopkeeper had refused to pay captain Tien's outrageous 'safety tax' and dumped the contents of a toilet bowl on his lackeys' heads when they came knocking a third time. Now, he seemed to regret that decision.

"Kill him. They took Chaya. Destroy them."

Jian sighed. "Look, I understand you're upset about your family, but that was ninety years ago. Don't you have anything better to do?"

The spirits face was twisted with hate and rage. It was sad, really. When she had been in the happiest time of her life, one day, Tenga had come home to a burned house and mangled bodies. A patrol of Fire Nation soldiers had deserted and unknowingly destroyed the Avatar's home. Tenga had tore the world up looking for them. She never found them.

"Hate them. Kill them. For Jiyu."

Jian cleared his head and ignored the spirit. Back to the task at hand. What kind of bender was he saying he was, again? An earthbender, right? Yes, that was it.

Tien was spouting some bullshit about justice and how he loved this town and keeping peace was his purpose yada yada yada.

Jian threw a rotten tomato at his head.

"Please refrain from spouting any more nonsense, captain Tien. You are a fraud, a bully, and even more of a corrupt dictator than the fifth Earth King!" 

Tien stared at him, too stunned to answer. The tomato covered his face in a comedic caricature of a badly bleeding headwound. The crowd that had gathered at the hanging was also staring silently. Jian took that as a sign to continue.

"Come on, you all know it, my good sirs and ladies! I have only been here three days, and it was obvious as the sun in the sky to me! Do you not want to fight back?"

One man - a young one, a fighter - answered his question. "But so few us are benders, and even fewer trained. Meanwhile, Tien has the entire guard with him. What could we possibly hope to accomplish?"

Jian winked at the man. "Good question, my friend, and I hope you find my answer just as good. You see, I have it on good authority that the guards of this town who are currently not present are, at the moment, either sleeping off their hangover or, more unlikely, wishing they had not awoken to be greeted by one, since someone seems to have slipped them something to drink that was a bit stronger than they expected. And perhaps not just drink, for that matter." 

The Avatar started to hand the pieces of fruit out to the mob. "That means the only guards present are those five. And Tien himself, if you count him. But I can deal with him, easily."

Pitchforks were gathered. The captain got mad. Jian dealt with him, easily. He did not even need to use any element other than earth.

"Thank you, traveler," the young man said when all was done and Tien behind bars. 

"No problem. It was just part of the job description," Jian replied as he saddled Kiri, his trusty ostrich-horse and lifelong companion. While the man's confused expression was great, he just hoped it would not turn afraid with his next words.

"I am the Avatar, after all. And I help those who need it."


	5. The Dancer

The weather was really nice.

The spring sun warmed her skin as she stood outside in the clearing. Father's gift for her twelfth birthday, a drum he had made himself, hung at her hip as she danced. She knew she should be practicing now, but Erya's lessons were so boring. Tanna might be the Avatar, but it's not like the world needed her right now. There was a peace on the world, ever since Zhei Fu the Masked had united the scattered spirit tribes of the world. Agni's followers - the Sun Warriors, they called themselves - lived on the islands west. On the poles were the Tui La Tribes, who had abandoned their notions of elemental superiority ever since Avatar Bei dropped an iceberg on their leader's head. Then there were the Air Nomads, of course, but they had been wandering before Avatar Wan sealed the portals. On the Continent there were still plenty different tribes and people of every element, but at least they had stopped fighting each other nonstop. Now they took breaks.

So Tanna figured she had time to dance. It was a dance everybody in her family knew. It was the dance of Earth Itself, a prayer to the dirt from which they all came and to which they would return in the form of the beating of her drum and the stomping of her feet. She hopped from foot to foot, on the rhythm of her song. The earth danced with her, quaking, rolling and shaking, everytime a foot came down. The beautiful singing of her companion Tsen, the nightingator, accompanied her. How such singing could hail from the teethy beak of a reptile-bird had always seemed wondrous to her. It just proved her point, she thought as she danced and the world shook. Music was everywhere, if you bothered to look. 

The Avatar danced with earth, and the world was at peace.

\----

It was warm in the empire of the Sun Warriors.

Of course it was warm, Tanna thought. It's the height of summer in Agni's land, what did you expect!? Still, the heat was making any attempt she made at concentrating on her lessons much harder than it should be. Her teacher was saying something about breathing. She almost dozed of.

"Tanna! You might be the Avatar, but that is no excuse to sleep through your lessons!" The snapping voice of her teacher, a stern old man with a grey moustache, broke the spell of the heat.

"Sorry, Sifu Hotman! It won't happen again! It's just, I'm not used to this heat. I only arrived yesterday," the thirteen-year-old girl said with every apologetic ounce in her body. Her teacher glared at her, then snorted.

"Fine, you may leave and get yourself adjusted. Just make sure it doesn't happen again tomorrow."

With all the excitement of a teenager in a new land, Tanna bounded away. She walked the colourful streets, staring up at temples large as mountains and the dragons that soared up high. "Look at them, Tsen! Aren't they beautiful?" A high-pitched whistle was her answer, saying that, yes they were beautiful.

But another high tune got her attention. in the middle of the street people were dancing on the tune of a band. The band had all kinds o instruments she had never seen. Flutes and strings and drums and bells. "Let's join them Tsen!" And so the Avatar dove into the dancing crowd. She was unfamiliar with the Sun Warrior dances, but learned fast. Tanna, the brown-skinned, green-eyed, obvious outsider, just closed her eyes and let herself go. Her feet clicked on the stones and sparks flew. The crowd quickly cleared around her, but her fire did not burn anyone. On the contrary, the flames sparked everytime she struck her feet on the rock, and then rose up to swirl around her, to dance with the Avatar. Her breathing matched the rhythm with which the fire rose and dimmed.

The Avatar danced with fire, and the world was happy.

Oblivious of the fact that everyone was now gaping at the girl who seemed to dance with Agni Herself, Tanna continued guided by the music and Tsen's singing, until she was out of breath and the music died. 

"Well, that was fun, wasn't it Tsen! Let's see what else we can do!" she said cheerfully. And with a bow and thank you toward the band, the Avatar left the stunned crowd, unaware of their amazed stares. One of them, a smiling old man with a grey moustache, chuckled.

"She certainly picked it up fast."

\----

The autumn wind that blew through the Air Temples was chilly.

Tanna shivered and wrapped her yellow robes tighter around her. She really needed to figure out that trick the Air Nomads had to shield themselves from the wind. Right now, all she had was the breath of fire, which didn't last long in this cutting wind. 

"Are you cold, Avatar?" 

Tanna smiled weakly at the kind voice of her teacher. "A bit, Elder Reeki. I'm used to warmer weather, not chilly mountain peaks."

The old woman laughed softly at that, although her eyes seemed to be roaring with joy. "Then perhaps this can warm you. If not your body, then your heart, as the gifts of loved ones always do." The woman produced a a long and slender package out of her wide sleeves. Tanna took it eagerly. 

"A gift from father! I knew he would not forget my birthday, he never does!" Her birthday had actually been three days ago, but Tanna could only imagine how hard it would be for a messenger to track down flying nomads. Of course, there was the chance it did not come from father, but when she quickly unwrapped the present she knew it did. The flute was masterfully crafted. There were whirls of wind engraved on it. She recognized her father's hand in it just as she had in the erhu from last year and the drum the year before that. "It's beautiful. Thank you, father," she whispered softly.

Later that day, when she was alone, she took out the flute and started to play. Her tune was carried away by the wind over all the world and she swayed slowly with it. The wind seemed to pick up when the music did, and die down with it. Somewhere halfway through, Tsen joined in. She reached a crescendo that should not have been possible with just one flute and a reptile-bird, but she was not just playing one flute. Her instrument was the wind that whistled through the mountains as she played a song of wind and freedom. She started walking slowly, eyes closed, going where the wind pushed her.

The Avatar danced with air, and the world was free.

\----

She had traveled through the desert to reach the Tribe of Tui and La, so the cold was a shock.

Of course, she had expected it to be cold and brought appropriate clothing, but it still took some time to adjust. At least Tanna could warm herself using firebending and lessen the wind's bite with airbending. But it was hard to not feel cold when she just looked at the icy city. The literally icy city. "Well, can't be worse than the Air Temple, right?"

She soon found out that yes, yes it could.

Aside from the literal cold welcome, the people of the North seemed to resent her. The tribesmen could hold grudges for a long time, she found out, and they had not forgotten what Avatar Bei had done to Umaq, the man who would have led them on a quest to conquer to seas. Cold stares followed her on the streets and silent glares in her classes, which she shared with the other boys. That was another thing why they resented her. Apparently only men were allowed to learn waterbending and they hated they had to make an exception for the Avatar.

So after another long day of practice Tanna roamed the frozen streets, bored out of her mind and feeling miserable. And then she heard it. The love of her life, the blood in her veins. Music, and people laughing. She picked up her pace and ended up in a white plaza. There was a fountain in the middle of it and in front of that were three people, a woman and two men, making music. The two men were rapping on their qilauts as the woman led the tune with a tautirut.

"Come, Tsen, let's join them," Tanna called to her companion. The bird shivered - he liked the cold even less then she did - but followed nonetheless. She had immersed herself in the crowd - there were glares and some of the laughter died, but the music luckily kept on going - when she felt it come over her again. That urge to dance, to listen to the music and forget everything. What could she do, other than give herself up to it?

The dance she danced was not a Tui La Tribe dance, but it seemed fitting. She had learned it in the desert. While the women there wore significantly less clothing then any sane person would on the poles, the fluid motions fitted right in. And you didn't need to be half-naked to dance. She moved her arms slowly but confidently, hips swaying while her belly stayed in place. Her thick blue parka eliminated most of the sexual tension, but she was fine - and more than a little happy - with that. She was only fifteen, after all.

Still the crowd was mesmerized as she danced and circled, water flowing up to accompany her. Tsen sat on the tautirut player's shoulder, singing along with her tune. Tanna danced with water whirling around her, wrapping around her arm and flowing with her movements, as the crowd stared. These people, who had been broken after Avatar Bei killed their founder, who had resented the Avatar, who had been so sure all of the sea belonged to them, watched in quiet awe as a fifteen-year-old girl danced with the Ocean. And they thought, maybe she's not so bad.

The Avatar danced with the ocean, and the world changed.

\----

"Why? Why did it come to this? Why did this happen?"

Tanna stared over the field of death with tears on her eyes, but nobody answered. They were dead. They were all dead. She did not know how the conflict had started, only that it needed to end. That she needed to end it.

There was no music, except for Tsen's mourning song and Tanna's weeping.

And in her nightmares, the Avatar danced with death, and broke the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The qilaut and the tautirut are Inuit instruments. The qilaut is a frame drum that you hit with a wooden beater called a qatuk. The tautirut is similar to the icelandic fiddle, and might have been introduced to the Inuit by Nordic sailors. I am not an expert in these things, I just ripped the names of wikipedia.


	6. Strong Enough

The black-and-white light from the television illuminated the room.

The news presentator was droning on about murders and thefts in Republic City, small disputes with the spirits, larger disputes between the nations, and the division within the Air Nomads. Royan sighed. So many problems. And he could do nothing. Sure, he could take to the streets like a common cop, but the police always said they had it in hand. He got the impression they just did not want him meddling in their business, which he could sort of understand. The Earth Republic was pressuring the Water Tribes to do something about the increase in piracy, but the Tribes refused to take responsibility. Politics. Then there were the Air Nomads. Their roles of aid providers had not completely been lost now that the Earth Republic had been stabilized, but there were no major disaster zones where they were needed. Some of the airbenders thought they should take a more direct approach as an international police force. An idea which was welcomed by many, but reviled by more. They were pacifists, after all. And the Elders had made abundantly clear they did not need the Avatar to settle their disputes.

The spirits at least, should have been something he could help with, but what was the Bridge to the Spirit World when the spirits who were causing trouble lived in this one?

Afraid, and a little lost, Royan moved into the lotus position. He had been told his entire life he was supposed to keep the balance in the world, but what could he do when nobody wanted his help? "Avatar Korra," he said a little tentatively, "I need your guidance."

"Sure thing, kid. What's troubling you?" Avatar Korra grinned back at him. The spirit was that of a woman in her prime, her muscles and her confident posture giving her every appearance that of a brawler, a warrior. She probably never had problems like his. Then again, the whole spirit fiasco was a bit her fault. 

"I don't know what to do, Avatar Korra-"

"-Just Korra's fine, y'know-"

"-There is so much going on, but nobody accepts my help! The Air Nomads won't, the Earth Republic won't, hell, even the spirits won't do it! What use am I? What use is the Bridge between the Worlds if the worlds are linked together?" Korra grinned a little awkwardly.

"Heh, sorry about that, kid. Sure you don't need a phsychiatrist, or someone like that? I'm not really good at this stuff."

"Yeah well, it's not my fault I can't talk to the other Avatars." Korra's grin slipped, her mask of bravado for a moment falling to show guilt and insecurities. Royan blinked, and did not notice. He sighed again, his shoulders slumping. "I'm sorry, I just don't know what I'm supposed to do. It's all 'politics this, appearances that, you really shouldn't bother yourself with petty criminals, Avatar' and it drives me mad!"

Korra groaned sympathetically. "Ah, the press. Definitily don't miss them. But anyway, about your problem. You say nobody wants your help."

"Yeah. The leaders say it's a breach of their national authority, and I understand that, but..." Royan shrugged, helplessly. "Did they ever say anything like that to you?"

"Yeah, it was a real pain."

Raising an eyebrow, Royan inquired. "So, what did you do?"

"I said 'I'm the Avatar, I'm an international authority." 

"I am?" This was the first he had heard about it. Most of the politicians just brushed him off.

"I don't know. Are you?" Korra leaned forward.

"I don't think so. Master Gusi would have told me. He's a real stickler about that stuff." Gusi was an extremely shrewd politician, who was teaching him almost everything about politics he wanted to know, quite a bit he didn't, and all of what he did not care about. Korra nodded, as if he had confirmed something. 

"And that is your problem."

"...You think master Gusi is holding things back for his own political gain so he can use me as a puppet?"

"What!? No! Although, he is Varrick's son, so I wouldn't put it past him. I never did trus that weasel-snake. But no, that's not the problem. Listen kid, do you think the Fire Nation wanted Aang's help to stop the Hundred Year War? Do you think Aang stopped because he was breaching Ozai's national authority? Hell no, he beat his ass!" Korra prodded Royan in his chest. "If you want people to treat you like the Avatar, act like the damned Avatar!"

Royan raised an eyebrow, a dry expression on his face. "I should go around beating up the heads of state? Appealing, but I doubt that would help. Much," he conceded after.

"Is it a hobby of yours to take away the wrong lessons from everything? Listen, a sick man needs medicine, whether he likes the taste of it or not. If you see a criminal, you catch him. If spirits are causing trouble, you stop them. And if the Earth Kingdom wants to battle the Water Tribes about who should deal with the pirates, you better knock some sense into their heads. If someone truly needs help, you help." She fixed him with a stare. "Do you know what makes the Avatar special?" 

"Well, I would say being the Bridge and the ability to talk with his past lives, but you kind of ruined that, didn't you? So, I guess you're talking about bending all elements."

"Exactly. And by the way, if you used even half of that snark and confidence on your problems they'd be gone in an instant. But yes, all four elements and the Avatar State make the Avatar the most powerful bender. If you wanted to and got some friends, you could probably deal with those pirates yourself. That would be one problem solved."

"But they won't let me! I told you that." Royan folded his arms and glared at the spirit, who glared right back and had more than a lifetime of experience as well. Needless to say she outglared him.

"Why do you care?" Royan stared at her, trading his glare for confusion. "Why do you care if they won't let you? You're the Avatar!"

"So I should force them to accept my help?"

"Yes!"

"So I'm just the guy with the biggest stick? That I'm the Avatar does not mean I can just break the law."

Korra sighed as she rubbed her spectral temples. "The Avatar is there to keep the peace and balance, so yes, you should set a good example. But what do you think is the most important thing an Avatar needs?" Royan thought for a moment.

"Control?" he said.

"No. Control can be used for evil as well. An Avatar needs to be able to tell right from wrong. Because an Avatar, if need be, stands outside the law. Aang lied and stole many times during his trip to beat Ozai. I have broken more laws than bones in my early days - now that I think about it, the two might have been connected." She stopped to tap her chin thoughtfully. "Point is, do not just go around breaking it at your whim, but do not led it stop you from what is necessary. As long as you can see right from wrong and choose right, all will be well. However, if you make a habit of playing judge, jury and executioner - like, I may have done, just a bit - you might end up like Juri Firefist. And that would be bad."

"Who now?"

"Fire Nation history. Also Avatar history, so I'll tell you. He was an Avatar from the early Fire Nation who started seeing his morals as laws, and killed anyone who broke them. 'Oh, you're a thief? Dead. A killer? Dead. The man who happened to be Fire Lord at the time my parents died at Fire Nation hands? Dead.' So you see why that would be bad."

"Yeah."

Korra stood up. Royan did the same. Despite all the snark, the young man really did look up to Korra, both figuratively and literally, since she was half a head taller. She looked him straight in the eyes.

"So what are you going to do now?"

"I'll stop the pirates first. Whether they want me to or not," he said confidently. He would be just as strong and confident as every other Avatar. He would fight his problems, and he would win. He would help. But...

"...But what if I fail?"

Korra smirked. "Then you get up, and punch harder next time."

Royan laughed a little. She really was a brawler. "Thank you, Avatar Korra."

Korra nodded, smiling slightly. "You'll make a great Avatar, kid. If you need me just give me a call."

And Korra was gone. But the Avatar was not.

\----

"Avatar Aang? Are you there?"

Silence. Korra shifted uncomfortably in the lotus position. The Avatars were gone. And it was her fault. She had saved the city, yes, quite possibly the world. But they were gone.

"But what if I need you again? What if I fail everyone because I lost my connection," she whispered into the dark, a little afraid.

"What if I lose?" A single tear rolled over her cheek.

Will you?

"What if people get hurt?" She shivered a little.

Would you let that happen? 

"...What if I die?" The last word came out as a sob.

Then you die. But if you don't...

"I'll be stronger. I'll be strong enough." The shivering stopped, just a little, but enough. She would be strong enough.

Because she had to be.


	7. Planting A Seed

It is late in the evening, and two of the most influential figures alive are playing a game that had taken the world by storm. It was made by a friend of the Avatar himself, an artsy Firebender. Wooden tiles click on the board, as withered hands move them around.

"Is something troubling you, uncle?" asks Kao, Queen of the ancient city of Omashu. Her uncle, or great-uncle, lets out a terrible cough. He looked like he should be resting. His skin was wrinkled and ashen and the few strands of hair he had left were white as a bison's fur. Scratch resting, he looked hours away from death. But he had looked hours away from death for a few years now.

"I am worried," the Avatar says, "what will happen when I pass on." The world was at peace, now, but that was for a great part because Avatar Luu rarely rested. He was working non-stop to solve conflicts, making sure small problems did not become big problems, and keeping the spirits appeased whenever some fool stepped on their toes. He was tired.

Kao shakes her head, and moves a chrysantemum tile to capture his white jade, before speaking. "You've lived for a long time, uncle, what makes you think your time is near now?" Her mind was only half on the conversation. She understands the incoming death of her uncle Luu, the Avatar, is a serious topic, but she also has a competitive streak a mile wide. If he wanted her unbridled attention he shouldn't have offered to play a game, no matter if it helped him think.

"Because I have lived for a long time. Everything dies someday, niece." Old eyes looks over the board, searching for an opening. Surreptitiously, he moves back his own chrysantemum as his niece's attention was drawn by his bold placement of the dragon tile. The rules allowed it, Kao would later note grumpily. "I need to know the balance of the world will be left in good hands."

Kao tries to catch his eyes for a moment, but he's focused on the board. "Isn't that the next Avatar's job?" The queen pulls back her chrysantemum, mirroring her opponent's. The tiles are forming up in a half-circle. What is the old man's strategy? He plays like he is a plan, but it seems like he is just making pretty shapes on the board. His half looks like a staggeredcircle, or a star. 

"Yes," the man says, frowning pensively. His dragon retreats. "But the Avatars, for all our power, are still human, and therefore fallible. My successor would not be the first to fail his purpose." Luu sets down a serpent, and Kao pushes forward her own in retaliation. Her brow twitches as she sees her formation is starting to copy his. 

Kao thinks this over. The next turns pass by in silence, a except for the clicking of the tiles and her uncle's laboured breathing. Eventually, she speaks. "I might be able to find the next Avatar, if he is born anywhere in my domain." The possibilities for that are not great, but neither are they negligible. Fire- and earh-blood tends to mix, with how much they trade with each other.

Luu shakes his head. "You would not be able to do it alone," he says. Kao looks up from the board. She knew he had been building up to something, but she hadn't known what. Luu sets down his white lotus tile in the pattern of tiles they created together. A pattern that looked suspiciously like a lotus.

Crafty old man, she thinks, and meets his eyes. "This is a nice piece of art we made together, but does it mean anything?"

Avatar Luu smiles, and his skin his ashen and wrinkled, and his hair is thin and white, but his eyes are steel, sharpened by two centuries of experience.

"I was thinking we should make a little Pai Sho club. I do so like this game."


End file.
